


Scratching the Itch

by irena_adler



Series: Watson [5]
Category: Numb3rs
Genre: Anonymous Sex, First Time, Glory Hole, Hispanic Character, Homophobia, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-09
Updated: 2015-12-09
Packaged: 2018-05-05 19:42:05
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 8,468
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5387900
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/irena_adler/pseuds/irena_adler
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Colby tries to deal with his encounter with David.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The old way

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Colby knows how to scratch this itch.

**Title:** Scratching the Itch, Part 1 **  
Characters:**

Colby/OC

Originally Published: 03/05/2010 

**  
**Rating: FRAO, NC-17  
**Story:** [Scratching the Itch](http://irena-adler.livejournal.com/149706.html#scratchingtheitch) \- Colby tries to deal with his encounter with David.  
Part 1 - The Old Way  
Colby knows how to scratch this itch.  
**Word Count:** 1856  
**Placement:**   Early in the Watson 'verse, right after [A Justifiable Arrangement](http://irena-adler.livejournal.com/124320.html)  
****Disclaimer:**** Not my characters (except when they are), not my world, making no money. ** **  
****Feedback: Yes, please! Feed the author!  
**A/N:**   I know, I know, another WIP.  I've already got part 2 written, though!  Thanks to my beta, munchkin.

  


**Part 1 – The Old Way**

The itch was growing, it always did, but this time it was growing more quickly and getting much stronger.

Colby had a new and simple way to scratch it, a safe way. David had offered – no, begged – for the opportunity to scratch it. But the old way was better, wasn’t it? Colby didn’t need David. Rather, he couldn’t afford to need David any more than already he did. David was his best friend, yes, but Colby was lying to him and using him. For the sake of his country and the greater good, yes, but still using him.

David might be safer in terms of STDs and getting caught, but the anonymous route was better, with fewer possible complications, attachments. Colby would be in and out in 10 minutes, itch scratched.

All these justifications ran through Colby’s mind, well-rehearsed, as he stood outside the door of a bathroom in a rundown pool bar. He leaned against the tobacco-stained wall and pretended to watch the game of pool going on in front of him.

He’d been here before, a while ago. He hadn’t played pool then either. The tables were old and torn-up, but he paid the cover charge to get into this place like every other man here had. The people who ran this dump knew full well what went on in their bathrooms. Pool cues and balls cost extra and the beer was watered-down, but the bathrooms were kept relatively clean. Colby had been in much worse places for this particular itch.

The bathroom door opened and a man exited, his face flushed from a recent orgasm. Colby looked away and another man entered the bathroom. Colby was next in the ‘line’ for a stall.

Colby watched the pool table and thought about the men playing. They didn’t look – Colby forced himself to think the word – ‘gay’. They looked like normal, beer-belly, average men. One even wore a wedding ring.

_But David didn’t look gay either._

Frowning, Colby wondered yet again how he’d missed that his best friend and partner was gay—no, bisexual. The duality was probably why he hadn’t noticed. David had always enjoyed checking out women with Colby.

_Because I certainly enjoy checking out women, of course, of course._

If he’d missed the signs with David, who he knew so well, who else might he have over-looked? _It’s important, because they’re vulnerable to blackmail and other types of pressure. It’s a security issue._

Dwayne? It didn’t seem likely. Some other friends from the Academy? Army? Probably somebody, but no one came to mind. Larry? Maybe that would explain the odd relationship and Megan was Larry’s beard. Then again, Colby couldn’t see Megan letting anyone use her that way and Larry wouldn’t care if anyone knew, anyway. What about a little closer to home … Don? No, he was a total hound, slept with anything in a skirt. At times, Colby had found himself even embarrassed for Don. He wondered what had come first – the reputation or the actions, but Don certainly lived up to it.

_But if David, who I thought I knew, is bisexual, then Don could be too …_

The image burst into Colby’s mind before he could stop it – Don on his knees in front of Colby, taking Colby’s cock into his mouth. Colby whimpered under his breath as an unbelievable jolt of arousal shot through him. _Oh God, that mouth, those hands, that ass …_ Colby swallowed against a tight throat. He never knew he’d noticed those sorts of things about his boss. _That’s it,_ he told himself desperately. _It’s an arousing idea because of the power differential, because he’s my boss and would never kneel to anyone. Nothing to do with how damn attractive he is. Attractive to women, that is._

Then there was the other Eppes, beautiful Charlie, who half the office already thought was gay, despite him having a girlfriend. Charlie could practically sparkle when he was in the moment. His brown eyes would glow and his skin would flush, like he was having a math orgasm. _Imagine what he’d be like with a real orgasm – all sweaty and uninhibited and –_

_Stop it, stop it!_ Colby’s cock was hard and aching. He shifted, trying to alleviate his discomfort.

Charlie might be only in his mind, but Colby already knew what David looked like when he orgasmed – he’d watched it. He’d heard David’s moan. He’d _felt_ it as David’s mouth had sucked hard on Colby’s cock while he’d shot his cum. He knew that David had trembled and that his scalp had been silky with sweat under Colby’s fingers. That there had been a connection there, in the quiet moment afterwards, a connection deeper and stronger than anything he’d ever had with a woman. He could have that again, David was offering, he could …

_Damn it, when is that door going to open?_

Like an answer to a prayer, the bathroom door opened and a man, small and thankfully not looking like any of his coworkers, exited the bathroom.

Colby hardly waited for the man to clear the doorway before pushing inside. The bathroom was heavy with the smell of cum and disinfectant, quiet moans and gasps issuing from the closed stalls. He hurried into the single open stall and locked it behind him. On one side of the stall was a hole the size of a large fist. He struggled to unzip and pull his pants down to release his raging erection. He turned towards the waiting hole and … hesitated. The thought, shocking and sharp, raced through his mind that instead of standing – showing he wanted the man in the next stall to suck him – he could sit, and therefore demonstrate that he wanted to do the sucking. _Goddamn it, what is wrong with me?_

Colby stood straight and exposed himself to the eye now looking through the hole. He hated this part, but knew it was expected and appreciated. He always feared that the person on the other side of the wall would recognize him, shout out his name. But the eye pulled back and the other man stuck his finger through the hole, indicating he liked what he’d seen. A condom was then pushed through the hole. Colby took the condom and rolled it down his cock. Then he did something he’d never done before – he leaned down and looked back through the hole.

He had never looked before because he had been trying to pretend that it wasn’t a man on the other side. But he’d given up on that particular delusion. This itch wouldn’t be scratched this time unless he knew it was a man.

The man was sitting on the closed toilet seat, his legs spread to expose himself to Colby’s gaze. He was Latino, with a mustache, wiry muscles, and a dark, erect cock. Colby pulled back, breathing hard, straightened up and stuck his cock through the hole. He pressed his whole body against the cool metal of the bathroom stall wall.

He heard shifting and then felt a warm mouth on him. He closed his eyes and tried to forget how much better David’s mouth had felt. Not that this guy was bad, and his mustache gave an extra layer of sensation that Colby enjoyed. It was just that he had liked watching David’s face while he worked. And, to be honest, he’d liked to watch David stroking himself in rhythm to his sucking. He would bet the man now sucking him was also stroking himself on, hidden on the other side of the wall. He wished he could watch.

_First looking through the hole, now wanting to actually watch him. What next?_ He had the sinking feeling that this was like cocaine, needing to get a bigger dose each time for the same high. _I can be stronger than that, I have to be._

Colby took a deep breath – as deep as he could with his chest pressed against the wall – and concentrated on enjoying this encounter. Soon the sweet urgency was rising in his balls and he bit his lip in anticipation.

Abruptly, the man stopped and removed his mouth. Colby grunted in protest, but he knew this happened sometimes. The man on the other side wanted to take turns. In other words, it was Colby’s turn to do the blowjob. This had happened to Colby at glory holes before, and he’d always pulled his cock back then put it into the hole again, signifying that he wasn’t willing to trade positions. About half of the time the man on the other side of the wall would return to his task, but the other half of the time the other man would be offended and not return, so Colby would need to finish himself off.

This time, like it was a film he was watching, Colby withdrew and put his finger through the hole. Regaining some sanity, he mumbled awkwardly, “Hand only.”

The other man hesitated, then slid his bare cock through the hole. His balls pressed against the edge of the hole, soft and furry. Colby then, for the first time in his life, wrapped his fingers around another man’s cock. It was warm and alive in his palm, uniquely, wholly male. He slowly started stroking it, figuring out the awkward angles as he went. He quickly got into the rhythm of it, completely forgetting about his own erection. He gathered a wad of toilet paper into his other hand.

Soon the shaft of the cock got very hard and the balls pulled up. Colby held the toilet paper against the head of the cock and, with a grunt, the man came in Colby’s hand. He continued to pump the cock until it softened and the man pulled back. Colby stood, staring at the wet toilet paper in his hand.

He was brought back to himself by the man putting his finger back through the hole. He was offering to finish Colby now and Colby gratefully shoved his cock back through. He needed to get out of here, fast.

It didn’t take more than a minute back in that skilled mouth before Colby was grunting his release, shooting between the man’s lips. He pressed his forehead against the wall and panted for a long moment. He then pulled back and removed his condom. Sitting down on the toilet lid, he waited for the other man to get dressed and leave the stall, then another moment after that. He didn’t want to meet this man in the bathroom or in the bar outside.

_Okay, itch scratched. Now to get out of this place._

Colby exited the stall and washed his hands. He then used more soap and washed them again, but the sense-memory of the other man’s cock still remained. Feeling angry at himself, he tossed the paper towel into the trash and pushed open the bathroom door. As he left, another man entered, and they avoided each other’s gaze.

He hurried out of the bar and was almost to his car, almost free, when he heard the shout.

 


	2. Rescue and Rescue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Colby finds some trouble to get into.

**Title:** Scratching the Itch, Part 2 **  
Characters:**

Colby, David

 **  
**Rating: FRAO, NC-17  
**Story:** [Scratching the Itch](http://irena-adler.livejournal.com/149706.html#scratchingtheitch) \- Colby tries to deal with his encounter with David.  
Part 2 - Rescue and Rescue  
Colby finds some trouble to get into.  
**Word Count:** 1726  
**Placement:**   Early in the Watson 'verse, right after [A Justifiable Arrangement](http://irena-adler.livejournal.com/124320.html)  
****Disclaimer:**** Not my characters (except when they are), not my world, making no money. ** **  
**Feedback:** Yes, please! Feed the author!  
**A/N:**    Any correction on the Spanish is welcome, I had to wing it!  Thanks to my beta, munchkin.

**Part 2 – Rescue & Rescue  
**

Colby didn’t know what had been shouted but the tone of voice was clear – _Help!_ Without a second thought, Colby turned and ran in the direction of the shout. A second shout led him around the side of the building and down an alleyway.

At the end of the alley he found four men kicking and hitting someone on the ground. They were cursing at him, calling him a ‘faggot’ and ‘pervert’. With a start, Colby recognized the man on the ground as the mustached Latino from inside. It made him even angrier.

Smiling in anticipation, Colby readied his stance. He was dying for a fight.

“You know, boys, what they say about people that attack gays?” He drawled. The men stopped their kicking and turned to look at him. “It’s usually because they’re afraid that they’re just like them.”

“It’s another one,” a man in a brown shirt snarled. He seemed to be the ring-leader. “One of those sick bastards who’s ruining our country.”

Colby’s smile widened. That man had no idea what Colby sacrificed daily for his country and Colby was going to enjoy even more making him eat those words.

A guy with a Lakers hat turned to aim another kick at their victim. Colby took two steps, then slammed his shoulder into the man’s back. Lakers Hat went falling into a third man, this one with a spider tattoo on his neck, and then Colby was ducking to avoid a swing by Brown Shirt. The fourth man, sporting a military-style buzz cut, caught Colby with a fist in his ribs and things degenerated from there.

A flurry of hits and kicks from the four men followed, more connecting with each other than Colby. _Don’t kill anyone_ , Colby reminded himself, then just poured his frustration and anger into pummeling these homophobic bastards to a pulp.

Lakers Hat was bleeding from the nose and lower lip, Buzz Cut was holding his side and Spider tattoo was limping when Colby realized he’d lost track of the fourth man.

“No way I’m going to get beat by a fag!” Brown Shirt yelled behind him.

Colby twisted towards him, bringing his right fist around – then froze. Brown Shirt had pulled a gun. It was just a Tanfoglio GT27, a cheap, junky pistol, and the man holding it was obviously inexperienced. But there was a look in Brown Shirt’s eyes, a look that Colby recognized, whether he was in the deserts of Afghanistan or the back streets of LA. It was the white-of-the-eyes stare of temporary insanity, of a man who normally wouldn’t kill someone but at this moment, at this place, he might.

Colby slowly lowered his fist and Brown Shirt smiled. The other men grabbed him roughly and held his arms behind his back. Everyone knew what came next, but Colby had been trained how to deal with it. He tensed his gut muscles, relaxed the rest of his body, and prepared to take a beating.  
  
 

David had been disappointed when weeks had gone by without Colby taking him up on his offer of another blowjob. He told himself that it wasn’t surprising that a man so deep in the closet would want to forget that anything ever happened. But, goddamn it, something _had_ happened. And David really wanted it to happen again.

Yes, he was between lovers and horny, and yes, Colby was a gorgeous specimen and David was particularly fond of virgin, untouched men.

But Colby wasn’t just another lover, he was David’s partner and best friend. In a way, they had a much closer relationship than any David had shared with a lover in a long time. David wanted Colby to be happy, to enjoy his sexuality. He wanted Colby to find a comfortable home in LA and with the FBI. Colby was a great guy and a patriot and really deserved to have good things happen to him. David wasn’t looking for true love, he’d been down that road before and been burned every time, but he thought that he might be able to find both fun and contentment with Colby. Regardless of what happened between them, Colby would always matter to him a great deal.

That was why David was sitting in his car on a Friday night, in the parking lot of a grungy pool bar. David could tell by the patrons that it was a gay meeting place and he was worried about Colby’s mindset. It had been too easy to tail Colby here. What could he be driven to do? David chewed on his lip in frustration. Why couldn’t Colby come to him? Was he ashamed? Or did he want a total stranger? Or maybe David just wasn’t his type?

These questions chased each other around in David’s brain as he watched the door to the bar. He felt reasonably certain that nothing really bad would happen to Colby inside the bar but, as time passed, David’s concern grew.

He was about to go into the bar – which would let Colby know he’d been following him – when Colby emerged.

David could tell by the flush on Colby’s fair skin that he’d been having sex. _Damn it, I thought it was just a meeting place._ It must have had a back room or other arrangement. He felt an unexpected anger at Colby. He was a smart guy, how could he be so stupid? He was risking his health and more going into a place like that.

Colby didn’t look particularly happy, maybe even angry himself, and he made a beeline for his car. David was contemplating confronting him and getting some answers about his behavior, when Colby suddenly stopped short. He turned his head, as if he had heard something. Then he turned around and took off running.

Swearing under his breath, David grabbed his gun from the glove box, threw open his car door and raced after him.

His brain caught up with his feet before he rounded the corner of the building and he slowed down. He heard pained grunts and sounds of a scuffle. Pulling his gun, he peeked around the corner.

Colby was approaching four men who were beating up on a fifth. The victim was curled up on the ground and they were kicking and spitting on him. Colby said something and the men turned to look at him. There was an exchange of words and David crept closer, staying low behind a garbage bin and in the shadows.

He could now see Colby’s face and Colby was smiling. David had only seen that particular smile on Colby’s face a few times, but knew it meant serious trouble for the person on the receiving end.

David crept another foot closer but otherwise held back. Colby would be pissed if he spoiled his fun now.

One man started kicking their victim again and Colby stopped him, _emphatically_. David smiled and watched Colby pummeled the four thugs. It really was a pulse-pounding sight as Colby moved that big body of his around like a dancer. David was so caught up in watching Colby that it took him half of a second to react when one man drew a gun.

Swearing at his own slowness, David raised his gun and stepped out into the light.

“Freeze, FBI!” He shouted then swore again to himself. He hadn’t meant to say ‘FBI’, it had come out automatically.

Everyone turned to look at him, including the guy with the gun. Colby broke free of the men holding him and tackled the gunman. He knocked the gun aside and David kicked it farther away.

“Freeze!” David shouted again.

“What the fuck do you want?” snarled the thug with tattoos. “Piss off!”

The thug that Colby had taken the gun from raised his hands but growled, “It’s another fag lover.”

“ _Who_ did you say you were?” the thug with the Lakers Hat asked.

“The man with the gun,” David snapped. He had no desire to bring the FBI into this. “And _I_ know how to use it. Now take off before I decide to report you for a hate crime.” He gave them a fierce smile. “And remember that gay guys have friends, too.”

The men looked at each other, then the ring-leader made a move to retrieve his gun.

“No way,” David warned, stepping closer. “I’ll put it in the lost-n-found for you.”

“Fag-lover,” the man spat at him, then he took off down the alley.

“You know it,” David called over his shoulder.

The other men edged around him then hurried off as well. David made sure they were out of the alley before he turned towards Colby.

Colby was picking up the discarded gun and wiping dirt and blood from his face with the back of his other hand.

“You okay?” David asked.

“Yeah,” Colby said and put the gun in his back waistband.

“You sure?”

Colby gave him a look that was unreadable – which was odd because Colby was usually as readable as a billboard – and turned to the man he’d rescued, before needing rescue himself.

Colby asked, “ _¿Estás herido?_ ”

David didn’t know Spanish but assumed that Colby was asking the man if he was hurt.

“ _Estoy bien,”_ the man replied quietly. He looked at David uneasily.

“ _Él es mi amigo_ ,” Colby said.

_Amigo_ , David knew that word. Should he take it as a good sign that Colby was calling him a friend instead of a coworker or even a cop or stranger?

Colby held out his hand. “ _¿Puedes levantarte?”_

_“Sí. Gracias por ayudarme”_ The man looked at Colby’s outstretched hand and, for some reason, smiled shyly. He took the hand and Colby helped him up.

_“Mira heridos.”_ Colby continued, “ _Déjame llevarte a casa.”_

_Casa_ meant home, David knew.

The man had yet to let go of Colby’s hand, though it looked like he could stand fine by himself. “ _¿Mi casa_?”

“ _Si,”_ Colby replied. _“¿Está cerca?_ ”

The man leaned towards Colby. “ _¿Podemos ir a su casa?_ ”

Colby looked startled. “ _¿Mi casa?_ ”

David frowned. Was this guy asking what David thought he was asking?

The man smiled shyly again. “ _Sí._ _Yo quiero_.”

Colby stammered, “ _No sé qué decir_.”

David didn’t know if Colby was taking the guy up on his offer or not, but he snapped, “Forget that. Neither of your _casas_. Granger, you’re coming home with _me_.”

 

 


	3. Several offers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Colby has to make a choice.

**Title:** Scratching the Itch, Part 3 **  
Characters:**

Colby, David

**  
**Rating: FRAO, NC-17 **  
**Story:[Scratching the Itch](http://irena-adler.livejournal.com/149706.html#scratchingtheitch) \- Colby tries to deal with his encounter with David.  
Part 3 - Several Offers  
Colby has to make a choice. ****  
Word Count: 1,021 ****  
Placement:  Early in the Watson 'verse, right after[A Justifiable Arrangement](http://irena-adler.livejournal.com/124320.html) ****  
****Disclaimer: Not my characters (except when they are), not my world, making no money. ** **  
****Feedback: Yes, please! Feed the author!  
**A/N:**    Looks like this fic *grumble* is going to be five or so parts *grumble*.  Thanks to my beta, munchkin.    
 

 

**Part 3 - Several Offers**

At first it seemed perfectly natural to Colby that David would come to his aid. He was used to having David watch his back. When David jumped out of the shadows and distracted the bad guys, Colby shook off those holding him and took out Brown Shirt with a shoulder to the stomach. He swatted the gun out of Brown Shirt's hand and David kicked it aside.

"Freeze," David ordered again.

Spider Tattoo, Brown Shirt, and Lakers Hat all yelled back at David, but they were holding still. Colby checked that Buzz Cut was still down.

"The man with the gun," David responded to someone's question. Colby agreed silently that it was better to leave the FBI out of this.

_Wait … The FBI? David … what the hell?_  

David continued with his deceptively soft voice, "And _I_ know how to use it. Now take off before I decide to report you for a hate crime. And remember that gay guys have friends, too."

_Friends, yeah, but … what the hell?_

The four attackers looked at each other, then Brown Shirt turned towards his gun.

"No way," David warned, stepping closer. "I'll put it in the lost-n-found for you."

"Fag-lover," Brown Shirt spat at him, then he took off down the alley.

"You know it," David called over his shoulder, sounding almost cheerful.

The other men edged around him and then ran off as well. David watched them go as Colby retrieved the gun.

"You okay?" David asked.

"Yeah," Colby said and put the gun away. How could he have let someone sneak up on him like that? He'd been totally sloppy.

"You sure?" David pressed.

_Yeah, sure. It's been a banner day._

For the moment, Colby turned away from David, and the questions he represented, and looked at the man he'd rescued. _The man who I just had anonymous sex with._ The Latino looked bruised but not significantly injured, unless he'd gotten a rib broken.

Colby asked him if he was okay, but the other man was more worried about David and the gun he still held. Colby reassured him that David was a friend, asked the man if he could stand and, without thinking, held out his hand.

The man looked at his hand and Colby swallowed. He'd held the other man's cock in that hand. He'd felt his hot cum on his fingers. The man took his hand and let Colby pull him up. He swayed a little towards Colby.

'Let me take you home,' Colby said in Spanish, then realized how that might sound.

'My home?' the man responded.

'Yes, is it nearby?'

The man leaned closer. 'How about your home?'

'My home?' Colby's pulse, which had been returning to normal after the fight, suddenly jumped again.

The man squeezed Colby's hand and gave him a smile full of hope and meaning.

Colby's pulse pounded in his throat. What exactly was the man offering? Another blowjob? A return one from Colby? _Oh, God, more?_ He stammered, 'I don't know what to say.'

David stepped towards them. "Forget that. Neither of your _casas_. Granger, you're coming home with _me_."

Colby blinked and looked at David. "What?"

The man on Colby's arm moved closer. 'Is he your lover?'

'No, No, just a friend,' Colby replied then realized he'd shifted so that the man's body fitted against his more comfortably. He swallowed and decided to deal with one problem at a time.

He looked at David and demanded, "What are you doing here?"

"Watching your back, as always," David responded. "Good thing I was."

"Yes, um, thanks. But what are you doing _here_?"

"Watching your back," David repeated. "Granger, you are totally off your game. I was able to trail you here without any trouble and then you let Joe Suburb pull a gun on you."

Colby grimaced. He _was_ off his game. Ever since-

"And you're about to say that's my fault," David said.

"It is."

David pointed to the man glued to Colby's arm. "Ditch your _amigo_ there and we'll talk, okay?"

"Maybe I don't want to ditch him," Colby said, though it sounded childish, even to him.

David raised his eyebrows. "You know better than that. With our jobs, we can't afford to pick up guys in bars. Bad security."

_More than you know,_ Colby thought grimly.

"Even if he does give a great blowjob," David added.

Colby felt his skin heat and knew he was blushing. He looked down at his new _amigo_ and sighed. 'I'm sorry, I need to go. Will you be okay?'

The man looked disappointed, but nodded and let go of Colby's arm. He gave Colby one last look, then ducked his head and hurried out of the alley. Colby watched him go, remembering the feel of his warm, solid body. Of his hot, skilled mouth. The way his cock felt heavy and pulsing in his hand.

"Granger!" David snapped, in a tone of voice that said he'd called him a few times already. "Damn, you really _are_ out of it."

"Well, what did you expect?" Colby growled.

David's face softened. "Hey, man," he said gently. "Just because you might sometimes enjoy messing around with a guy, it doesn't mean you have to come to places like this. There are better ways."

"With you," Colby replied flatly. This was beginning to sound like a broken record.

David shrugged. "I'm not saying that I wouldn't prefer that, but there are other options. Discreet, _safe_ ones."

The fight suddenly left Colby, leaving him shaking and, to be honest with himself, frightened. Maybe this itch was much worse than he'd thought. Maybe scratching it would cost him too much.

"Colby, c'mon, hey, don't look like that," David said. "Let's go get a drink or something."

"You have beer at your place?"

"Well, yeah, but-"

"Let's go there. Just for a drink." Colby paused, then added, "At least to start ..."

David eyed him. "Are you sure?"

"No," Colby said tiredly. "I'm not sure of anything. Except …" he summoned a wry smile from somewhere. "Except I really want to get out of this alley."

 


	4. Threshold

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Colby struggles with conflicting impulses.

**Title:** Scratching the Itch, Part 4 **  
Characters:**

Colby/David

**  
**Rating: FRAO, NC-17 **  
**Story:[Scratching the Itch](http://irena-adler.livejournal.com/149706.html#scratchingtheitch) \- Colby tries to deal with his encounter with David.  
Part 4 - Threshold  
Colby struggles with conflicting impulses. ****  
Word Count: 1,778  
**Placement:**   Early in the Watson 'verse, right after [A Justifiable Arrangement](http://irena-adler.livejournal.com/124320.html) ****  
****Disclaimer: Not my characters (except when they are), not my world, making no money. ** **  
****Feedback: Yes, please! Feed the author! **  
A/N:**   Thanks to my beta, munchkin.    

  


**Part 4 – Threshold**

Colby got into his car and David got into his. David pulled out of the parking lot and Colby followed, his mind in a whirl.

_What am I doing? I wonder what it would be like to kiss someone with a goatee. Or a thick mustache. Would I really have taken that guy home? He felt so good just leaning against me. And wasn’t a stranger safer than David? Well, at least I know David’s loyalties. Do I? Of course. Just because I’m working both sides doesn’t mean everyone is. David is one of the most loyal, honorable men I’ve ever known. Then why is he_ doing _this to me? Because I’m safe, or at least he believes I am, and he’s bored and horny. No, that’s not fair. He’d never knowingly hurt his best friend. Unlike me. God, how can I get close to him but not_ too _close? Close enough to touch him, feel him, taste him … Damn it, that itch is as bad as ever. Worse. Why couldn’t I lust after Megan or someone more, well, female? No, no, don’t even go there. This is just about this night, this itch. Yeah, right, keep telling yourself that. What are we going to do when we get to his place? What do I want to happen? Maybe if I just kiss him it’ll feel like kissing a sister and I can just forget about it. Yeah, that’s likely …_

Colby almost ran into David’s car when David slowed to turn into a parking lot. They were already at David’s apartment and Colby hadn’t decided anything. He parked his car and followed David to his front door.

He’d been in David’s place many times, but this time felt different. David opened the door and Colby stepped inside, feeling like some sort of threshold had just been crossed. _No, nothing has happened yet. You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to. Yeah, but it’s the_ wanting _that’s the problem …_

“Clean yourself up a little,” David called over his shoulder as he walked into his kitchen.

Colby went into the bathroom and checked himself over in the mirror. His face was grimy but not too bad, and the blood on his face and hands wasn’t his own. It would have been a far different story if David hadn’t been watching his back.

Colby wiped his face and neck down with a wet washcloth and washed his hands. While drying his hands, he found he couldn’t meet his own eyes in the mirror. He wondered what the hell he was doing here.

Back in the front room, David was sitting on his couch with two bottles of Bud Light.

David handed him a bottle and Colby sat down on the couch at a careful distance from David.

“Bud Water?” Colby said with forced humor. “Want to make sure I’m clear headed?”

“Want to make sure both of us are,” David replied quietly and twisted the top off his bottle. He took a long swallow and Colby watched his throat move. “Or have you already had too much?”

Colby brought his eyes back up to David’s face and saw he was smiling.

“Uh, no,” Colby replied. “Nothing yet tonight.”

“Hey, man,” David said. “It’s just me, you know me. We don’t have to do anything. How about I turn on a game?”

Colby nodded and opened his beer while David turned on the TV and checked the listings. After a moment, David chose a classic baseball game and Colby took a swig of his beer.

He made a face. “Yuck, David, how old is this beer?”

“Naw,” David said, leaning back on the couch with the TV remote in hand. “It’s supposed to taste like recycled piss.”

“Ah,” Colby responded then gazed at the TV for a moment. The Yankees were up to bat, down 3 to 5 in the bottom of the 7th inning. The pitcher was–

“Screw this,” Colby snapped and plunked his bottle down on the coffee table. David turned to look at him and Colby grabbed David’s shirt with both hands, yanked him closer and slammed his lips into David’s.

David dropped his bottle – Colby heard it bounce off the table onto the floor – and grabbed Colby right back.

There was a momentary tangle of hands and lips and knees, then they got themselves sorted out and Colby was pressing David back against the couch cushions, half sitting on his lap.

David’s mouth was hot and fierce against his. Colby ran his hands down David’s chest and delighted in the flat, muscular feel of it. He tugged David’s shirt out of the waistband and the skin was warm under his fingers. David was digging his fingers into Colby’s shoulders and nipping at Colby’s lower lip.

Colby pulled back to strip his shirt off and toss it aside. David sprang forward and pushed Colby flat on the couch, then licked and kissed Colby’s chest.

“Damn fine,” David muttered between kisses. “When you get all sweaty and your shirt sticks to your body …”

“Didn’t know you noticed,” Colby said, a little breathlessly, as he ran his fingers over David’s scalp and ears.

“Good,” David said and sucked hard on Colby’s left nipple.

Colby gave a surprised sound as shivers rippled through him.

“I try hard not to let people know I’m bi,” David murmured. “It can get too weird.”

“I bet,” Colby said, then shivered again as David found his other nipple.

“Wanted you since day one,” David said, sitting up to strip off his own shirt. “But figured that you were straight. Then I started thinking maybe you were just a little bent.”

Colby gave an annoyed snort. “Don’t know what I am, just want to move this to your bed, okay?”

“Absolutely.” David stood up and walked towards the bedroom, unbuckling his belt as he went.

“Wait,” Colby called.

David turned to look at him, eyebrows raised. Colby grabbed him, turned him around and hustled him into the bedroom. He pushed David onto his back on the bed and started running his hands over David’s pants-covered crotch. He shaped David’s erection through the fabric. He could feel the heat though the thin cotton.

Leaning down, Colby rubbed his cheek against David’s cloth-covered cock. “How did you guess—what made you think I was bent?”

David pulled a pillow under his head and smiled at Colby. “It’s always been a knack of mine, sniffing out guys who might be open to stuff like this.”

“Hmm,” Colby said. He straightened up and began to undress the rest of the way. “There’s got to be something.”

Shrugging, David said, “It’s an unconscious thing, okay?”

“C’mon.” _What do I do? What do I need to control better?_

David watched Colby undress and said, “Hard to say. Sometimes it’s the way a guy looks a little too long at another, in the locker room or just in general. Or if I’m playing sports with a guy and he touches me just a little more than he needs to. Maybe it’s how he describes women he likes or what things turn him on. Just a lot of tiny things that add up. It’s not like I can pick them out of a crowd.”

When Colby had taken off the rest of his clothes, David gave him an appreciative once-over. “With you, though,” David said with a grin. “At first, it was just a whole lot of wishful thinking.”

“Oh?” Colby stood naked in front of David, smiling. “You like what you see?”

“Yeah, Granger,” David said with his trademark deadpan sense of humor, “you’re the supermodel of my dreams.”

Colby chuckled. It never hurt to be admired.

“Now can I take off my clothes?” David asked plaintively.

“Please do,” Colby said, and then watched as David stood up and stripped.

David wasn’t bulky or cut, but he was well-shaped, with lean, strong muscles and not an ounce of unwanted fat. Colby’s eyes were riveted, of course, by David’s cock as it bobbed against David’s stomach. His pubic hair was tightly curled and his balls were very dark.

“You going to look all day?” David teased.

“No,” Colby said, blushing despite himself.

“Whoa,” David said with obvious appreciation. “When you blush, you blush all over.”

“I know,” Colby muttered. He’d been teased for it before. He came around the side of the bed and lay down on his left side. David smiled and lay down as well, facing him.

“Now what?” Colby asked.

David just reached for him and urged him closer until there were just inches between their naked bodies. “You can put on the brakes at any time,” David said, then pressed his body full length against Colby’s.

With a deep groan, Colby ran his hands down David’s back to his ass. “Shit, shit,” Colby murmured as he kissed David’s face and mouth. “I just want to … oh, God.” Colby felt like he’d wasted his whole life up to this moment. Then he was angry for feeling that way. His touch on David turned rough.

David pulled back. “Are you okay?”

“ _No_ ,” Colby snarled. “I am so fucking _not_ okay.”

“Hey, man, hold up.” David gripped Colby’s wrist and looked into his eyes. “It’s just me, Colby, just David. You know, the guy who flips a coin with you to see who goes down to the evidence locker, who saves all the green M&Ms to eat last, who cheats at golf and shouldn’t be allowed within a mile of a Karaoke bar.”

Colby’s shaking eased and he managed a smile. “Not any bar that has Celine Dion songs.”

“See?” David said, smiling back. “It’s just you and me, messing around. No deadlines or agendas. There’s no rush. Just you and me, having fun. Like going out for a beer.”

Colby gave a dry chuckle. “I think it’s a little different.”

“Some,” David acknowledged. “But it doesn’t have to be earth-shattering if you don’t want it to be.”

“So you’re saying,” Colby said as he pressed his leg up against David’s. “That if I get up and leave right now, you’ll be okay with that?”

“Okay, so I’d be pissed and have to jerk myself off, but yeah.”

“No rush?”

“No rush.”

Colby smiled crookedly. “Just messing around.”

“That’s right.”

“Hmm,” Colby said, freeing his hand to stroke David’s back again. He knew it wasn’t so simple, and there would be consequences, but there wasn’t anyone he could trust more than David. Not in any of his lives.

Colby leaned towards David again and placed a kiss on that familiar mouth. “Okay, show me.”

 


	5. The new way

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Colby takes what David is offering but might want more.

**Title:** Scratching the Itch, Part 5 of 5 **  
Characters:**

Colby/David

**  
**Rating: FRAO, NC-17 **  
**Story:[Scratching the Itch](http://irena-adler.livejournal.com/149706.html#scratchingtheitch) \- Colby tries to deal with his encounter with David.  
Part 5 - The New Way  
Colby takes what David is offering but might want more.  
**Word Count:** 1,663  
**Placement:**   Early in the Watson 'verse, right after [A Justifiable Arrangement](http://irena-adler.livejournal.com/124320.html) ****  
****Disclaimer: Not my characters (except when they are), not my world, making no money. ** **  
****Feedback: Yes, please! Feed the author! **  
A/N:**   Thanks to my beta, munchkin.     
 

**Part 5 – The New Way**

“How about we start simple?” David said. He rolled away and lay on his back. “Just touch me.”

Colby smiled, looking at the expanse of dark skin in front of him. “With my fingers only?”

David chuckled. “Whatever moves you.”

“‘Moves me,’” Colby repeated and scooted closer to David, pressing his cock lightly against David’s hip. With his fingers, he traced the shape of David’s collarbone, then his pecs and down to his abdomen. A woman’s torso was all about the breasts, but here Colby could admire the simple beauty of the muscle. _Whoa, did I just think that David was beautiful? Getting carried away here._

To give his mind other things to pay attention to, Colby leaned over and kissed David’s neck. He let his hand wander farther, unseen, until it brushed the head of David’s cock. Colby turned his head, laying his cheek against David’s chest, and watched his hand slide over the thick head and down the shaft. He wrapped his hand around the shaft, just holding it, and a shiver went through him.

He kept a light hold on David’s cock and kissed his way down David’s chest. His dark skin tasted of sweat and warmth. Colby ran the flat of his tongue over the nearest nipple and then moved on – the nipple reminded him too much of women. He traced a line with his tongue across David’s firm stomach and down to his hip. Then he shifted forward and, without letting himself think about it, sucked the head of David’s cock into his mouth.

David gave a startled grunt, the first sound he’d made in a while, and his cock twitched in Colby’s mouth. Colby felt that twitch all the way down to his own cock, even pressed as it was between his body and the mattress.

Shifting himself around to get a better angle, Colby began to suck and stroke and move. He knew the basic techniques of a blowjob from the times it had been done on him. He fumbled a little with what to do with his hands, but settled with using one to prop himself up and the other to hold onto David’s stiffening cock.

Colby loved the feel, the taste of it, and got lost in his task. He moved his hand down to take hold of David’s balls, gently caressing that warm, soft pouch that felt like nothing else on the human body.

Fingers were tugging at his hair and Colby realized that David had been talking to him. He lifted up his head and blinked at David, feeling like he’d been snorting some sort of drug that left him both buzzed and heavy with arousal.

“Wha’?” Colby mumbled.

David grinned at him. “I’m about to come, suck-boy. Didn’t know if you could tell.”

“Um,” Colby said incoherently and licked his lips. That sharp taste must be pre-cum.

“I could put on a—” David started, but Colby interrupted him by crawling back up the bed to lie next to David, their heads level.

Colby grabbed hold of David’s body and, with a grunt, rolled David over on top of him. David quickly got the idea and lined his cock up with Colby’s. David’s was still slick with Colby’s saliva. Matching his mouth to David’s mouth as well, Colby took a firm grip on David’s ass with both hands.

Colby’s tongue tangled with David’s while their cocks rubbed together. Colby felt his orgasm rising and he lifted his hips and ground his aching cock against David. He sucked mindlessly on David’s tongue as his body hummed in anticipation like a primed IED.

David moaned and Colby felt the hot splash of cum on his stomach. That set him off too and he was thrusting against David while David slammed down against him. They bumped and grunted together until there was nothing left but the trembling in their legs.

Colby laid his head back and gasped for air. That was night-to-day better than his orgasm an hour before. It was even better than when David had sucked him off in the van, those weeks ago, because this time he hadn’t fought it so much.

“Mm,” David murmured, his head lying on Colby’s shoulder.

“Yeah,” Colby agreed.

They lay in silence for a long moment, then Colby had to ask, “So where do we go from here?”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, as in … I mean, is there an ‘us’ now?”

David propped himself up and looked Colby square in the face. “Colby, man, I’m not trying to offer you true love.”

Colby felt oddly insulted. “Well, why not?”

“I think that if it were going to happen _that_ way between us, it would have already happened.” He added with a sideways smile. “Besides, you’re not my type.”

“No?” Colby demanded. “Why, because I’m a guy? A co-worker? _White_?”

“Dammit,” David snapped. “You know me better than that. None of those things matter.”

“Then…”

“It’s just that I’ve never fallen for anyone that was any good for me.”

Colby could help smiling. “You think I’d be good for you?”

“Yeah,” David said, running his finger along Colby’s chin.

“Then why not?”

David shrugged. “I can’t explain what the heart does, nobody can. You love who you love.”

“You, David Sinclair,” Colby said with a chuckle, “are an incurable romantic.”

“Look who’s talking. Mr. ‘God, Country & Duty’.”

“Hmph,” Colby said, but that brought him a little bit back to his senses. “So, nothing changes?”

“We’ll still be buddies,” David smiled. “Just fuck-buddies.”

Colby shivered. “That would mean …”

“Yeah, it would,” David said, his smile widening. “You saying you don’t want to go there?”

“I don’t know, I …” He flushed. “Okay, yeah, I do.”

“Oh, yeah,” David chuckled, low and dirty. “Been wanting to do that since the day you walked in.”

“Oh?” Colby asked. “That’s what you were thinking when I came in the door?”

“That and ‘great, an ignorant Army redneck’.”

“That’s stereotyping.”

“Yet,” David said cheerfully. “I was willing to give you the benefit of the doubt because of your fine ass.”

Colby laughed. “Thank God.” Then he sobered. “But no rush, right?”

“No rush,” David agreed. “I’m not going anywhere. You?”

Colby felt a twinge. “Hope not.”

David raised his eyebrows.

“Just old habit,” Colby said quickly. “When you’re in a war zone, you learn not to make too many long-term promises.”

“Hmm,” David nodded, still eyeing him.

Colby sat up. “You got something to clean up with?”

“Bathroom.”

“Right.” Colby got out of the bed and walked towards the bathroom. He called over his shoulder, “You’re watching my ass, aren’t you.”

“You bet,” David called back.

Colby was smiling as he reached for a towel and caught his own eyes in the mirror. That guy looked pretty happy and relaxed. Was it just a show or was that how he really felt? Sometimes he couldn’t tell the difference. Shrugging, he thought that the happiness felt real enough.

Still smiling, Colby took the towel back to the bedroom. He tossed it towards David, who caught it out of the air.

“Want to order in pizza?” Colby asked.

“Yeah,” David said as he wiped himself off and stood up.

Colby watched David get dressed, still enjoying his freedom to look openly.

David raised his eyebrows. “You going to meet the pizza guy dressed like that?”

“Oh,” Colby said, with a slight flush at the idea, and got his own clothes on.

“Pepperoni and mushrooms?” David asked, walking into the front room.

“Sounds good.” Colby tucked in his shirt and followed him out.

“Yankees game?”

“Sure. More beer?”

“Sure. Another Bud Light for me.” David picked up his phone and flopped down on the couch.

“Nasty piss water,” Colby grumbled, but got two Bud Lights as David called the pizza place.

He turned on the game, opened both beers and handed one to David. He sat down next to him.

David hung up the phone and said, “On its way. The only decent _real_ pizza in the area.”

“You mean New York-style pizza.”

“That’s what I said.”

Colby leaned back into the couch and put his arm around David’s shoulders. “Do you mind?”

David eyed him and Colby added quickly, “Just for tonight.”

Giving a shrug that could have meant anything, David leaned into Colby and they sat in companionable silence, watching the game. Colby smiled and relaxed. He felt safe with David. He knew it was an illusion, but he was quite willing to ignore that fact. He leaned his cheek against David’s smooth head. It had been a long time since he’d held anyone and it felt good. _Not as good as the sex, though_. Colby’s smile increased as he remembered the last hour.

“After the pizza,” Colby murmured, “I’d be up for some more edjucatin’.”

David chuckled. “I could probably be talked into that.”

“Wasn’t planning on talking.”

“Even better.”

Colby smiled and took another swig of his beer. Yes, it was nasty but it somehow tasted good at this moment. Many things felt good – the warmth of David against him, the pleasant tiredness of his post-orgasm body, even the mild anticipation of a lukewarm but still good pizza. The thing that felt the best, though, was that he knew he was _never_ going to go back to that skuzzy pool bar with the glory holes in the bathroom. That was the old way, the ashamed way, the denial way. He preferred this new way, with a good friend he trusted as much as he could anyone in the world. He didn’t know what this ‘itch’ really was, but that was a worry for a different day.

Colby looked at the side of David’s face and grinned. “You know,” he said mischievously, “New Yorkers don’t know pizza. To make _real_ pizza, you have to use potato flour in the crust.”

David’s squawk of protest was worth the elbow in the ribs.


End file.
